Collaboration of agencies result in the rescue of kidnapping victims

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- Homeland security investigations (HSI) in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Border Patrol and Mexican authorities worked together and rescued a 9-year-old boy who was kidnapped and being held for ransom by a transnational criminal organization.

According to Homeland security investigations (HSI) On July 27, the boy's mother entered the country illegally and Border Patrol agents detained her in El Paso. At the same time the kidnappers started to demand money from the boy’s relatives in Kansas City, Kansas.

On Aug. 1, Chihuahua anti-kidnapping unit spoke with one of beneficiaries of the money wires being sent from Kansas to Ciudad Juarez. The following day the boy was left at a Ciudad Juarez municipal police station. No arrest were made and authorities are still investigating.

On Aug. 6, The State Public Security Secretariat (SSPE) rescued 10 people who reported being victims of kidnapping from Africa by a criminal group. Police received information about a group of people wandering and looking distress.

Agents from the Deployment Police, elements of Police Intelligence, the C7-iA Command Center and rescue personnel responded to the call, after questioning the individuals it was confirmed that 4 people were from the country of Sudan and the other 6 were from Morocco.

Through an English interpreter, the group told officials they had been kidnappied, tortured and being used as a means of extortion against their families. The victims were seen by Mexican Red Cross personnel who performed a medical examination and found the group suffered severe dehydration, malnutrition and multiple injuries.

State Investigation Agency (AEI) and the National Migration Institute (INM) were notified and are conducting an investigation.

Orlando Marrero-Rubio, Spokesperson for El Paso Border Patrol says transnational criminal organizations use stash houses to keep migrants. Marrero-Rubio added "We've seen diversity in communities, neighborhoods that they've been using to stash migrants in inhumane conditions. No electricity, lack of food, lack of water in tight spaces. Properties that are designed for maybe a family of 5, we've seen groups of 50 and groups of 20."

Marrero-Rubio says some of the traits of a stash house are excessive amounts of trash, a high traffic of vehicles coming and going all hours of the day. "Smugglers, they try to hide the migrants inside those stash houses. So more than often they will put aluminum foil or cover the windows in nontraditional ways."

If you have information about smuggling activity please call the Homeland Security Investigation's tipline at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP (1-877-447-4847).